Electrically-controlled switch-operating mechanism for railways.



No. 887,980. PATENTED MAY 19, 1908. K. W. G. J. STOFFELS & J. J. H. W.WEENBN. ELEGTRIOALLY CONTROLLED SWITCH OPERATING MECHANISM FOR RAILWAYS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 23, 1907.

UNITED STAilEfi rarnrrr ent ies.

KAREL WILLEM GERARD JOHANSTOFFELS AND JOHANN ES JAGOBUS HENDRIKUS WIL-HELMUS WEENEN, OF AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS, ASSIGNORS TQ 'NAAMLOO ZEVENNOOTSCHAP INTERNATIONALE ELEOTRICITEIT MAATSOHAPPIJ, OF AMSTER- DAM,NETHERLANDS. v

ELECTRICALLY-CONTROLLED swrrcn ornnarme MECHANISM 'ronjne nwar's.

Patented iviay 19, 1908:,

Application filed January 23 1907. Serial No. 353,74=2..

T 0 all'whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, KAREL nARnJoHAN STOFFELS and J OHANNES J ACO- BUSHENDRIKUs'WILHE MUs WEENEN, sub;

jectsofthe Queen of the Netherlands, residing at Amsterdam, Netherlands,have invented new and useful Improvements in Electrically-Controlled-SwitchOperating Mechanism for Railways, '(Stoffelss system,) of whichthe following is a specification.

This invention relates to an electrically controlled switch-operatingmechanism for railways, Stoffels system, which essentially comprises aboX fixed in the ground and containing two wire coils, a speciallyconstructed relay for making and breaking the circuit for the said coilsand a contact device suspended in the overhead or trolley wire of thetramway network or system.

Having briefly outlined our improved construction, we will proceed todescribe the same in detail, reference being made to the accompanyingdrawing, of which Figure 1 is a diagrammatical complete view of theelectrically-controlled switch- 0 crating mechanism; Figs. 2 and 3 areside e ovations of the contact pieces'provided on the trolley wire; Fig.4 is a section on line A-B of Fig. 2 and Fig. 5 is a section on line CDof Fig. 3.

There are arranged in a box fixed in the ground two coils B C wound withwire, the coil B having thicker windings than C. There is fixed withineach of the coils in the said box an iron core; these cores are attachedto a lever which is connected with the switch-tongue. According ascurrent passes through either coil, one of the cores is drawn inside thecoil and consequently the switch tongue is shifted for either direction.

The relay employed for the present ar rangement is of the followingconstruction 0 b c and d are contact blocks, e'is a contact spring, andf are contact pie s, which are insulated by non-conducting erial c'. 31is an iron core, which can he ted from the coil A and thus raises thelever arm 76, which turns on the fulcrum 'm and thereby lowers thecontact piece Z is a piece of insulating material and 7c is permanentlywith the overhead wire.

The contact device comprises two contact pieces insulated from case.other and from WILLEM Gil-- connected, f

' the overhead wire. One contact piece is longer than the other so thatwhen the car runs on the track in the direction of the arrow, only onecontact piece lifts the collector of the motor car from the overheadwire and" then both-contact pieces perform thesame together and arefinally connected by the collector. The longer of the two contact piecesis connected to one end of the coil A and the other one to the contactblock 0. i

The operation is as follows: If a car approaches the contacts of theoverhead wire and the motorman has not turned on the cur-- rent throughthe medium of the controller,

the relay remains in a position of rest when the collector comes incontact with the contact iece it because no connection from n is established and neither with the overhead wire or the positive pole, nor withthe rail or the negative pole. if however the car, in consequence of itsm's 'vioc, runs further beneath the contact 0, the current 1 asses fromthe overhead wire over 7c, 9, b, A, n, the sliding piece of the trolley,over 0 c e and through the coil C to the rail. By the insertion of aresistance to, the current intensity is rogu lated to such an extentthat the flow of cur rent is sufficient to actuate coil 0 but notsufficient to render coil A operative. switch-tongue is thus shifted forone direction of travel. Now if the contact a is traversed while themotorman has turned on the current, the entire current of the car willpass from the overhead wire through 70, g,. b, coil A to n and throughthe car to earth. This current is of sutlicient strength to render thecoil'A operative; it lifts h and as g thusbears against a and f against(Z, 6 being simultaneously separated from c, the current of the car newpasses from the positive wire to is, g, a through the coil B to f, (1-,through A to n and through the car to earth. The

core so that the switch ton ue is shifted. The contact 0 issimultaneously rendered inoperative, as the spring contact e hasbeen As9 bears against a and is separated from b, a

break spark wil never .be produced on the relay.

Having now particularly described separated from c.

' against (Z before The ascertained the nature of our said invention andin what manner the same is to beperformed, we declare that what weiclaimand wish to secure by Letters Patent is In an electrically controlledpoint or switch-operating mechanism for railways consisting of solenoidsfixed in the ground and controlling the switch with their cores of arelay for making and breaking the circuit for the coils and of a contactdevice sus-' by non-condueting material (i) and a core (71 adapted to beinfluenced by the coil (A) which, when attracted b the latter, turns thelever (k), that is insu ated from the contact piece (c) and connected tothe overhead wire, on'its fulcrum (m) in such a manner that the contactpiece (f) comes in contact with the contact piece ((1), whereby the coil(B) is energized and traversed by the entire current of the car in theknown manner, the switch-tongue bein shifted owing to the core of thesaid coil having been drawn inside, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we have'signed our names to this specification inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

KAREL ,IIAIIEM GERARD JOllAN STOFFELS. JOIIANNES JACOBUS HENDRIKUSWIMIELMUS WEENEN. Witnesses:

NICOLAAS RUDOLPH-E DE LECURR, WILLEM CHRISTIAN NAEZER.

